Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not to be taken too seriously
Review: Most of the other reviews have already pointed out some of this book's shortcomings: a protagonist that is bland if not outright boring; a seriously longwinded discussion of morality and social mores that is driven by a series of strawman arguments; a limp and unsatisfying ending. Although this book is good, we've come to expect better from Heinlein. But still, Heilein was on to something, particularly the examination of humanity from the outsider's perspective. That idea sustains this book, when otherwise the plot would merely wallow in the author's idiosyncratic views of sex, religion, and government.
Rating: 
Summary: How is this book the greatest selling Sci-Fi novel?
Review: Of the Sci-Fi books I have read (and this is including the 60+ pathetic Star Trek novels I have read) this is one of the worst. One half of the book is an interesting Sci-Fi action adventure. The second half is basically a dime-store Harlequin romance novel. I think that what happened in the second half of the novel is that Heinlein decided that it would be better to appeal to the newly rising sex-crazed pop-culture of the 1960's, than come up with a creative ending. Yeah, it is great to think that sex is one of the greatest things in the galaxy, but if it is, my god we have some problems to face up to. I really hated the fact that Heinlein made the main character be a combination of Jesus Christ, a golden retriever, and Don Juan Quixote.
Rating: 
Summary: Know Thyself.........
Review: There are some "truths" out there, that when unearthed, are blindingly obvious to all....all that are willing to open their eyes anyway. Heinlen demonstrates to all a few basic tenets to live a life by. Not all of them are appropriate to our society but will someday be possible. Live your life in love and read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Damn Good Book!!!
Review: If you have not read this book then consider yourself a person without the ability to think. This book has changed my life and it will do the same for you. Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the greatest science fiction books ever created. It has everything you could ever want. If you ask me if there are any other books that are better all I would say is "no". The greatest right behind Star Wars. I may be only fifteen but this is one good book and I have read a lot of books.
Rating:
Summary: I've read worse
Review: Dilemma. You have a main character who is bland and uninteresting, and utters not a word that smacks of depth and profoundity, but it is crucial to the book that he be deep and profound. What do you do? You explain that only someone who understands his alien language can grasp how deep and profound and beautiful he is! I, unfortunately, am limited to terran languages, and I missed the point. Trite silliness from an author I otherwise enjoy a great deal. Read THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS instead.
Rating:
Summary: It starts out challenging, but becomes "mushy headed."
Review: Heinlein is at his best when he is presenting new ideas with hardheaded logic. That is what he does for about 1/2 of this book. He is sharp, somewhat cynical and clever. However, when it comes to Michael Smith and his new way of living, all sharpness and hardheadedness vanish, self deception takes over, and he espouses a nutsy and naive view of relationships that is so far removed from the real world that the Heinlein of the first 1/2 of the book would tear it to shreds. I have even heard it said that the second half was satire and that Heinlein did not mean it to be taken literally. However, the first part of the book is good enough to justify reading it. Arguing with the foolishness of the second part is good exercise for the mind.
Rating:
Summary: CLASSIC
Review: This is my favorite Heinlein book, maybe my favorite period. After reading this book you will look at yourself and the world around you in a completely different way. Don't miss this one folks, it's already considered a classic for some very good reasons.
Rating:
Summary: A promising start that doesn't deliver.
Review: It's a curious thing -- there seems to be no middle ground when it comes to Heinlein's works, especially this one. Either you'll love it, rave and consider it life changing, or you'll pick it up, read it, and sigh, wondering why you bothered past the first third of the book. I fall into the latter category. Stranger In A Strange Land gets off to a promising start -- first contact with life on Mars, and the startling discovery of a human raised by Martians. The surviving son of a doomed first expedition to the planet, Michael Valentine is fully human in a biological sense, but fully Martian in his thinking and views of life. When he returns to Earth, the clash of cultures and mores that gives the book its name is set up like a house of cards. Unfortunately, Heinlein runs out of plot a third of the way into the book. After a gripping yarn of international espionage and a struggle for influence over the trusting Martian-Man's destiny, the book fizzles. What follows is a series of long-winded essays on the superiority of Michael Valentine's 'untainted' thinking, thinly veiled as dialogue. A predictable pattern emerges: prudish visitor is shocked by the martian man's actions or statements about human life, free love, cannibalism, religion, and so on. Open minded individual takes prudish person aside, and the rest of the chapter is a discussion. One will toss out a weak straw man ("But it's just plain wrong!") and the other will explain for pages why the truly open-minded will explore anything. Repeat this pattern over several chapters. It soon becomes clear that Heinlein's desire isn't to write an involving yarn -- he's trying to tie together his essays on some fuzzy concept of new morality. Polyamory and pantheism are hardly new or revolutionary, and Stranger in a Strange Land is hardly the first book to explore them. It's hardly the /best/ to explore them. When it gets right down to it, it's simply an author telling the reader what he thinks, and calling it entertainment. Towards the end, things liven up a bit -- Michael Valentine's life on the run, and his attempts to 'hide in the open' by posing as a normal citizen, are enjoyable. These bits are soon eclipsed by more Heinleinizing, though, and Valentine's transformation into a hippie-messiah is enough to bring an audible sigh. What makes the book so disappointing is the promise it shows early on. The introduction of martian concepts like 'grokking' -- gaining complete comprehension -- and water ceremonies hinted at a rich exploration of a strange culture. The book never delivers on that promise, however. Now, Stranger in a Strange Land serves as a lesson for all would-be writers: tell a story, or write an essay... just make up your mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Have fun wracking your brain.
Review: Stranger effectively displays RAH's attitudes, wit,and intelligence, but it bogs down when Mike becomes an "adult." The first 3/5 of the book is great fun, but the latter part is murky, confusing, and, according to Alexi Panshin, "thoroughly annoying." It becomes difficult to understand Heinlein's point, and unless his teaching is for religious toleration, he's not getting much of a point accross. That last 2/5 of the book explains the few "1" reviews on this list. Stranger is a good example of RAH's later work. For more fun and less philosophy try a "Juvenile" work like Have Space Suit, Will Travel. None of his work is truly juvenile, but his early stuff is more entertaining. Stranger is smart and detailed, but you have to be Benedict Spinoza to comprehend it. Unfortunately, I'm not Spinoza and he died about 500 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: The book that was the bible of the counterculture
Review: I first read this book in the 1980s. It's about a man who's raised on Mars and comes to Earth as a "messiah". This 1961 novel was the bible of the counterculture of the late 1960s. It predates Star Trek by five years.
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